Mayor Dawn Zimmer has proven time and again to be an honest, credible and principled mayor who is unafraid to stand up to any elected official in the best interests of Hoboken residents. It took a great deal of fortitude for Mayor Zimmer to come forward with the disgusting bully tactics of Governor Christie’s administration to hold Sandy money hostage in exchange for an expedited development deal. For anyone who actually knows Mayor Zimmer and has paid attention to the openness and transparency she brought to City Hall after taking over for the disgraced Peter Cammaranno, it’s no surprise she stuck to her guns and decided to do what she thought was right for our city.

Critics claim Mayor Zimmer should have come forward earlier in 2013 when the threats from the Lt. Governor and other administration officials were made. Those critics easily forget that at the time, Governor Christie was arguably the front-runner to capture the Republican nomination for President and had the “bully” pulpit, resources and powerful allies to railroad any elected official, including Mayor Zimmer, standing in the way. As the Star Ledger editorial board correctly pointed out, Bridgegate made Mayor Zimmer’s story, which I have no doubt to be true, believable to the public at large. Now was the logical time to go public and Mayor Zimmer did just that, despite knowing she would expose herself to the inevitable attacks from Governor Christie’s office, national Republicans and media outlets looking to smear her reputation and discredit her claims.

Thank you, Mayor Zimmer for staying true to yourself and your constituents and for your willingness to do what is right no matter what the cost. Hoboken is a better place thanks to your unwavering integrity.